Safety-clutch for car-door mechanisms.



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SAFETY CLUTCH FOR GAR DOOR MECHANISMS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 15. 1906.

WITNESSES PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907..

v No. 865,920.

0. A. LINDSTRUM.

SAFETY CLUTCH FOR UAR DOOR MECHANISMS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 15. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- SAFETY-CLUTCH FOR GAR-DOOR MECHANISMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed June 16,1906. Serial No. 321,794.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, CHARLES A. Lmnsrndm, ofAllegheny, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Safety-Clutch for Oar-Door Mechanisms, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a hopper car showing myinvention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a side view on a larger scaleshowing part of the operating gear 'in connection with a deviceembodying my invention:

Fig. 3 is an end view of'the same; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of Fig. 3;Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a minor modification;Figs. 6 to 10 are detail views showing modifications of the device as awhole; Figs. 11 and 12 show further modifications in the device as awhole; and Figs. 13 and 14 show minor modifications in my preferredconstruction.

My invention has relation to a safety device or clutch for use inconnection with freight car drop door operating mechanism. Heretoforethe door operating gears have usually been held in their closed positionand been operated by shafts with ratchets or other devices allconnecting together asa single unit, to release which device theoperator placed a wrench on the square at the end of the shaft. As soonas the dog and the pawl or other locking device is released, the weightof the loadbn the doors acting back through the door-operating mechanismoften causes the wrench to be thrown from the operators hands before hehas a chance to remove it from the square. This throw is often very-violent, causing injury to the operator by striking him or by knockinghim over the trestle or other supports upon which the canstands, andupon which he must stand in order to operate the doors.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved safety clutchconnection between the door-operating shaft and the part to which thewrench is applied by the operator, such connection being so arranged aswill permit the shaft to be released to open the doors, after which theshaft is free to move without effect upon the wrench, thereby obviatingall danger of injury by rea son of the wrench being thrown in the mannerabove described.

My invention is applicable to various forms of dropdoor operating.mechanism. In the accompanying drawing I have shown it applied inseveral different ways and its application in other forms will beapparent tion of the shaft and a casing portion having an interiorsegmental lug 8. The end portion 9 of the shaft 2 is cy lindrical; andhas loosely seated thereon a clutch member composed of a wrench-seatingportion 10, and a projecting arm or lug 11, the latter being within thecasing portion of the clutch member 7 and arranged to coact with its lug8 in the manner to be described.

The loose clutch member is prevented from falling out of the casing bythe rim 7 and the clutch member 7 is prevented from endwise movement inany suitable manner as by means of a key 12, seatedin the bracket 13 andengaging the circumferential groove 14 in the exterior surface of thesleeve portion 7, as shown in Fig. 4, or by means of a pivoted latch 15engaging a groove 16 in the projecting end portion of said sleeve, asshown in Fig. 5, or in any other suitable manner.

17 is the usual form of safety pawl, arranged to engage a lug or tooth18 on the clutch member 7 to insure the locking of the door in closedposition. This locking is, however, mainly effected by the crank 3coming to and below the center line of the shaft 2 when the door isclosed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

17 is the usual safety dog which prevents the pawl 17 from working outof the tooth 18 when in the closed position. One or more additionalteeth 19 may be used to assist in closing the door, and said teeth willpermit the operator to change the position of the wrench on the squareif desired.

To open the door, the parts being in the position shown in Figs. 1,2, 6,7 and 11, the dog 17 is knocked out. If then the pawl 17 cannot belifted out of engagement with the tooth 18 by the hand by reason of theload resting on the pawl, due to crank arm 3 not having been placed overthe center when the door was closed,

the operator engages his wrench with the wrench-seating portion 10 andturns backwards, engaging the lug 8 with the opposite side of the lug1]. and continues'to turn until the crank arm 3 is passed over thecenter, when, all lead will be taken off of pawl 17 and it may bedisengaged without the door opening up. The operator now turns towrench-seating portion in the opposite direction until the lug 11engages with the opposite side of lug 8 and continues to turnsufliciently to raise the crank arm 3 over the center line of the shaft2. The load acting on the door now opens the latter and causes a partialrevolution of the crank arm 3 and the shaft 2 without turning thewrench-seating portion 10, upon which the operators wrench is seated, byreason of the engaging lug 8 moving away from the lug 1] without movingthe clutch member. It will be apparent that no matter how quickly theload may actupon the door after it has been released, there will be nodanger to the operator and he can remove his wrench at leisure.

.In the modified construction as shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, theloose clutch member 20 is journalod in the bracket 13 and thecylindrical portion 9 of the shaft 2 is journaled in the said member;the lug 1 1 is on the inside of the bracket 13 and the wrench-seatingportion 10 and the teeth 18 and 19 are on the outside. The squaredportion 6 of the shaft 2 with the clutch 7 and its lug 8 are also insideof bracket 13 in a position suitable for engagement between the lugs 8and 1]. The parts in these figures which correspond to similarlyoperating parts in the first described construction are given similarreference numerals, as will be seen, with the addition of the exponenta.

In the modification. Figs. 11 and 12, the shaft 2 with the squaredportion 6 for the clutch member 7 with the lug 8 and the wrenehseatingportion 10, as well as the portion 21 fixed to said shaft and containingthe teeth 18 and 19, form the loose member of the clutch; I

the lug 11 being part of the crank arm 3 in which the inner end of shaft2 is journaled.

In the modification, Figs. 13 and 14, the loose part 22 of the clutchcontaining wrench-seating portion 10 and lug 11, is journaledon anextension 23 of the clutch 7, which carries the lug 8 and the. teeth 18and 19 for the pawl 17.

Such modifications of my invention as are herein illustrated anddescribed, but not specifically claimed, form the subject matter ofdivisional applications Serial. Nos. 351,819 and 351,820, filed January11th, 1907.

It will be obvious that my invention is susceptible to variousmodifications and hence I do not wish to limit myself to tho particularform of device which I have shown and described.

What I claim is 1. In a door operating mechanism, a door-operatingshaft, a bracket, a clutch member fast to said shaft and rotatablyseated in said bracket,- and a cooperating loose clutch member looselyconnected to said shaft; substantially as described.

2. In a door-operating mechanism, a door operating shaft having anangular portion, a bracket, a clutch member secured to the shaft, androtatably seated in the bracket, means for preventing endwise movementof the clutch member, and a cooperating cluth member loosely mounted onthe end portion of the shaft; substantially as described.

3. In a car door operating mechanism, a door-operating shaft. a bracket.a clutch-member fixed to said shaft within the bracket, and formed intoa casing portion having an internal clutch lug. and a plurality ofexternal pawl teeth, '1 pawl for engagement with the said teeth, and aco operating clutch-member loosely mounted on the shaft and having aclutch arm working within the casing portion of the fixed clutch member;substantially as described.

4. In car door operating mechanism, a door-operating shaft, a bracket,and cooperating fast and loose clutch members. one of which is rotatablein the said bracket; substantially as described.

In car door operating mechanism, a door-operating shaft, a bracket, aclutch member loosely connected to the shaft and journaled in thebracket, and a cooperating clutch member fixed to the shaft;substantially as de scribed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES A. Lnvns'rni'm.

Witnesses:

K. L. Rumxsnx, (hm. II. l'lunmuiic.

